In 2023, the world saw a significant decrease in anti-personnel landmines destroyed, with 192,563 mines cleared—a drop of 21,193 from the previous year. The Clearing the Mines report , released by a coalition of charities, details this reduction. It raises concerns about the urgent need for increased political support and funding. With 59 conflicts ongoing worldwide, humanitarian organizations like The HALO Trust are calling for a global recommitment to the Landmine Ban Treaty to protect civilians from these deadly remnants of war.
STEEP FALL IN LANDMINE CLEARANCE: KEY FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS
According to the report, the 10% reduction in mine clearance highlights a worrying trend. This is especially concerning in global demining efforts. It is happening at a time of increasing conflict and displacement. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining also notes an 18% decline in funding over the past decade. This decline amounts to a $1.18 billion shortfall. It has directly affected the resources available for landmine clearance.
James Cowan, CEO of The HALO Trust, stated: “This report is a wake-up call for the world. The conflict is escalating. There can be no recovery from war or sanctuary for the displaced until explosive weapons are cleared and destroyed. Thousands of civilians continue to live in fear until this work is done.”
The HALO Trust operates in heavily contaminated regions, including Ukraine and Yemen. It emphasizes the ongoing danger to civilians in these areas. In Yemen alone, 18.2 million people require urgent assistance amid widespread mine contamination, yet HALO can only afford to employ 72 deminers there.
CRISIS OF UNDERFUNDED LANDMINE CLEARANCE IN CONFLICT ZONES
Several conflict zones face severe mine contamination, but a lack of funding hampers meaningful progress. In Syria, for example, where over 400,000 refugees have returned from Lebanon, the full extent of landmine contamination remains unknown. The HALO Trust operates in northwest Syria. This is a densely populated region affected by explosives. Nevertheless, they have funding for only 40 deminers.
Additionally, the recent conflict in Gaza has added layers of complexity to mine clearance efforts globally. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and booby traps in areas like Gaza complicate demining operations. These devices are also classified as landmines. IED contamination in Afghanistan has expanded to 65 km². This is an increase from 53 km² in 2022. These threats are spread across 26 provinces.
SPOTLIGHT ON ZIMBABWE’S DEMINING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES
Zimbabwe stands out as the nation that cleared the most mines in 2023, destroying 37,260 mines. Nonetheless, despite this achievement, Zimbabwe has extended its clearance deadline to 2028 due to funding cuts. The HALO Trust presently clears 83% of the country’s mines. A severe reduction in funding may force a cutback in its workforce by over one-third in 2025.
Cowan notes a unique and tragic consequence of these funding issues. Many of HALO’s Zimbabwean deminers were formerly employed by the UK government. They worked to clear mines from its territory in the Falkland Islands. These same deminers now face redundancy after working tirelessly for many years to clear their homeland of mines.”
CURRENT GLOBAL DEMINING OPERATIONS AND THE PATH FORWARD
Across 60 contaminated countries, HALO operates in one-third, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, and Ukraine—four countries categorized as having “massive contamination.” The organization employs thousands of deminers: 2,235 in Afghanistan, 1,191 in Cambodia, 83 in Iraq, and 1,376 in Ukraine. Yet, the funding gap limits the scope of demining activities and delays the progress needed to make these regions safe.
